Ranking Flyers Draft Picks Under the Briere Regime

Danny Briere has been the GM of the Philadelphia Flyers since May of 2023. That means 3 drafts and 26 draft picks have been made under the now not-so-new regime. In 3 drafts as GM, Briere has made 5 first-round draft picks, 12 picks in the first two rounds, and 14 in the first three.

This coming draft, the Flyers have just two picks in the first three rounds, but there is still an opportunity to draft impact players.

With that in mind, I wanted to take a look back at Briere’s previous draft selections as the GM of the Flyers. So, let’s rank the top 10 Flyers’ draft picks over the last 3 years.

Flyers Draft Picks Ranked 10 to 6

10. Nathan Quinn, (’25, R6, No. 164), C, Quebec (QMJHL)

Nathan Quinn looks to be a steal as the Flyers’ last draft selection in the 2025 NHL Draft. The 5’11” centerman went on a tear in his D+1 season. Quinn scored 34 goals and 73 total points in 58 games for the Ramparts. He was a scoring leader and helped push his team to the playoffs in the Q. He is expected to head to the NCAA to play for Northeastern, and looks like he could be a diamond in the rough for Philly.

9. Jack Nesbitt, (’25, R1, No. 12), C, Windsor (OHL)

I seem to be much higher on Jack Nesbitt than most. There is too much potential with his size and two-way abilities to give up on a player that is still just 19 years old. A scoring surge at the end of his D+1 year pushed him to 25 goals and 58 points in 55 games, and it continued for an excellent playoff run for him with Windsor. He is headed to the University of Michigan, where he should develop nicely under Branon Naurato. He might’ve been a reach, but there is still alot there.

8. Spencer Gill, (’24, R2, No. 59), RD, Rimouski (QMJHL)

If it weren’t for injury, Spencer Gill would be much higher on the list. The 6’4″ blueliner has an excellent two-way game, mixed with physicality. Gill’s draft season was brilliant, and he continued his great play as a two-way defenseman in his D+1 season. Injury plagues his D+2 year after a trade to the Blainville-Broisbiand Armada. Now, he’ll get to develop under John Snowden in Lehigh Valley.

7. Jett Luchanko, (’24, R1, No. 13), C, Guelph (OHL)

Jett Luchanko is another player who could benefit from his upcoming full season in Lehigh Valley. Say what you want about the reach for the pick, Luchanko is great at his game. He won’t be the high-scoring center most had hoped. Instead, he’ll be a reliable middle-six center that will shut things down defensively. In the best way possible, he reminds me of a much faster Noah Cates. He’s already seen NHL time, including a playoff game, and he could keep up with the pace of the game. Luchanko will be a good NHLer.

6. Oliver Bonk, (’23, R1, No. 22), RD, London (OHL)

Oliver Bonk looks poised to be a top-4 two-way defenseman. He looks every bit like a former first-round draft pick, and he, too, has looked good in his very limited NHL time. He brings size, physicality, and has shown to be a solid puck-mover with future power-play impact. His two-way deal will likely force a year in Lehigh this coming season, but that could be a good thing. Bonk looks very promising.

The Flyers’ Top 5 Draft Picks Under Briere

No. 5: Yegor Zavragin (’23, R3, No. 87), G, Mamonty Yugry (MHL)

Yegor Zavragin could very well be the future between the pipes for the Flyers. Even as a teenager, Zavragin looked unfazed by the KHL, arguably the best league outside of North America. He’s never had a KHL stint with an SV% below 9.12 or a GAA below 2.63. A trade sent him to Metallurg Magnitogorsk, where he should see consistent playing time in the KHL rather than time in the MHL, too. With his D+4 coming, Zavragin looks like a 3rd round steal, and much more like a goalie competing with Trey Augustine as the best from that draft class.

No. 4: Jack Berglund (’24, R2, No. 51), C, Farjestad BK (SHL/J20 Nationell)

The Flyers got a hell of a leader in Jack Berglund in the 2024 NHL Draft. Like Luchanko, don’t expect Berglund to be an elite scorer, but he’ll be the defensive center down the middle to help the Flyers’ talented wingers. He captained the Swedish Gold Medal team at World Juniors and even joined the men’s team at the World Championships. As a 19-year-old, Berglund scored 7 goals and 12 points in his D+2 season in the SHL, which is pretty impressive. Getting Berglund in round 2 in 2024 was a great pick.

No. 3: Matvei Michkov (’23, R1, No. 7), RW, SKA St. Petersburg/HC Sochi (KHL)

Matvei Michkov practically fell into the Flyers’ lap in 2023. That’s the only reason he is not higher on the list. He was a no-brainer selection at No. 7. Michkov was excellent in his D+1 season while on loan with HC Sochi, then, surprisingly, joined the Flyers the following season. A lot was made about a “down year” in 2025-26, but if a player’s down season as a 21-year-old is a 20-goal, 51-point season, I would take that any day. He was also Briere’s first selection as GM of the team.

No. 2: Denver Barkey (’23, R3, No. 95), C/LW, London (OHL)

Denver Barkey is, in my opinion, the Flyers’ best bang for your buck pick made under the Briere regime. The versatile forward was an excellent player in juniors, but concern over his size led him to be a 3rd-rounder. That played into the Flyers’ favor, as they took the chance on him in 2023. He started his D+3 season with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, but got called up to the Flyers in December. Barkey gave the Flyers no reason to send him back, and stuck with the team for the rest of the season, making an impact in the regular season and playoffs. 5 goals and 17 total points in 43 NHL games is pretty damn good for a player expected to be in the AHL for a couple of seasons beyond this past one. There is no going back for Barkey now, especially not after his seamless transition back to center.

No. 1: Porter Martone (’25, R1, No. 6), RW, Brampton (OHL)

Porter Martone is another player who fell to the Flyers when he should have been picked higher. However, with James Hagens sitting right there, Briere had to make a tough choice. So far, it looks like the right one. He spent most of his D+1 with Michigan State in the NCAA, where he was one of the best in the nation. When that season ended, he joined the Flyers’ playoff push and was a point-per-game player. 4 goals and 10 points in 9 games during the biggest stretch over the last 5 seasons. He also had 2 goals and 5 points in 10 playoff games. He looks like the absolute truth.

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